Secrets in the Dark
by CylentKiaru23
Summary: Her life seemed ordinary until the death of her mother. His life seemed perfect to outsiders. Both are unaware of the underground organizations running their lives and the war their families have waged against each other. AU Sasu/Saku
1. Prologue

**Secrets in the Dark**

**Prologue**

The black Sudan came out of nowhere, t-boning the rusty old car Nanako had been driving to a nearby store. The front bumper of the onyx car smashed the driver's side door and Nanako could hear the tinkling of glass falling around her. Blood ran down her slender face, dripping into her eyes from when her head smashed against the windshield. Maniacal laughter could be heard from the other vehicle.

"We found you Nanako Mori! You knew you couldn't hide forever!"

Thinking fast, Nanako grabbed for her seat belt, trying to get the metal catch to release her from the restraints that were supposed to help save her life. She could hear a car door slam and footsteps closing in on her. Emerald eyes clamped shut to help focus and a green light glowed as she created a scalpel with her chakra and cut through the thick fabric of the belt. Free to move, she reached under her seat, ripping open the bottom with the scalpel and pulled out a gun from the stuffing. Somehow the feel of the cool metal calmed her senses, giving her the courage to crouch down and crawl toward the passenger side door. Flexing her leg muscles to make sure everything was still in working order she pushed her right leg out with all her strength, breaking the lock on the door and forcing it to crash open.

By now her assailants figured out what she was up to and started running to the other side of the car. But it was too little, too late as Nanako sprung free. "Damn it," the man swore, "Mikoto, you were supposed to kill her on impact!" Snarling in frustration he fired a few shots at the medic, hoping he would catch her before she had a chance to turn around.

Brow furrowed in anger, Mikoto took a inhaled sharply. "Not everything can be done perfectly Fugaku. Perhaps if you hadn't failed to kill her twenty years ago, we wouldn't be having this problem!" Pivoting her body toward the dark alley the cornered woman was running towards, her midnight hair swirling around her, Mikoto lifted her gun, ready to shoot at a moment's notice at the wounded woman.

They were on a shadowed, isolated street late at night, the kind of place and time that Nanako always avoided, never knowing when her and her husband's past might come back to haunt her. Black dots began to blot her vision and she quickly tried to blink them away, her body swaying slightly in dizziness not soon after. Her background in the medical field told her she most likely had a concussion from when she smashed her head against the windshield. It was odd that her fail-safe car had chosen this specific time to not eject the airbags. She knew she had no chance of getting out of the situation alive.

Nanako swung around to face her enemies and her hands began moving to create a seal that would aid her in her healing. The fuchsia haired woman smiled and started to work out a plan that would distract her assailants from the small movements she was making behind her back. Healing was a slow process for her, especially since she hadn't practiced in so long, and it would not be prudent for them to see what she was up to so soon. "So you found me," she sneered, "Too bad you couldn't catch my husband with me as well." Nanako smirked, knowing what she was about to say would press a few buttons. "What's wrong Uchiha? Getting careless in your old age?"

Fugaku's eye twitched in fury, the emotion flitting only briefly across his face before his emotionless mask slid back into place. Mikoto snorted. Shrugging her shoulders she shot back, "Maybe. Or maybe we're planning on taking you out one by one. After all, we wouldn't want to exclude your daughter from the excitement, would we?" Her gun clicked, murderous intent made clear.

_Shit, too soon!_ The healing was taking too long; her vision was still swimming before her eyes. Narrowing her eyes at the mention of her daughter Nanako plowed on, "Or maybe you still haven't located us. If you had you would have attacked us all at once before now. I'm confident that my daughter and husband are still safe." Grunting in pain she braced herself and opened fire against the other woman. As soon as the shot fired Nanako back-flipped into the alley behind her and tried to get some distance between her and the crashed cars. No doubt the police would be on their way soon.

The sudden sharp pain in her shoulder made Mikoto scream in fury. "Bitch!" Not caring about who heard her, Mikoto began shooting blindly down the alley. When she heard an anguished shriek she knew she hit her target and started walking towards the fallen woman.

"Mikoto." Fugaku was not happy, his voice stern. This task was taking far longer than was necessary. His superior would not be happy that this was turning into a shooting circus. "Finish her and be done with it," he commanded coldly. Walking forward he focused on the fallen auburn haired woman. Blood streamed down her thigh, her form crumpled on the dirty ground. Shots rang out as she desperately tried to hit one of them and save herself. Her attempts were in vain. A sickening crunch and a blood curdling scream were heard as his wife pressed her heel into the desperate woman's already injured leg.

"Where is the Kyuubi?" Mikoto growled out, twisting her heel into Nanako's damaged thigh. She wanted to hear her scream, payback for the wound in her own shoulder.

Laughter was heard from the ground. Nanako looked up at the woman from the corner of her eye. Blood was starting to blind her and she could feel the sticky sensation of the red liquid drenching the lower half of her body. She was going to die. "He's safe," she cackled weakly. A moment later she screamed in agony as she felt searing pain shoot across her back, flames consuming her. It lasted only a moment before the fire abruptly ceased.

"Your daughter and husband will die if you don't tell us," said the emotionless voice of the male Uchiha. His hand was held directly over her body, thick black smoke lifting from his fingers after putting out the flames.

Nanako laughed again. "You don't know where they are. You will never find them or the Kyuubi."

In an act of desperation, Mikoto lost her patience and kicked the body before her. "Tell us! Now!" Blue electric sparks coursed visibly along her body, her self-control at its breaking point.

Nanako glared up at the two assassins the best she could. Through gritted teeth she hissed, "Never." Such a simple word, and said so calmly. Ironic that it would be the one that ended her life. _I'm sorry Sakura…Koichi…_

"Then die," snapped Mikoto. The bullet sang as it came out of the guns barrel and ended Nanako Mori's life. Stepping to the side Fugaku looked at his enraged wife. "You made a mess of things Mikoto," he said as he lowered his gun. Turning away from the gruesome scene he began walking back towards the crashed cars. "We need to go. Now." Footsteps sounded behind him quickly after Mikoto swore a quick oath over the broken body. The quiet words of, "You stole my son from me, and soon, we will return the favor," echoed through the alley as the two drove away from the scene.

* * *

When the door slammed to the room next to him, Sasuke Uchiha jolted awake. Rolling over he looked at the clock and saw the red number flash one o' clock in the morning. Sighing in annoyance he closed his eyes once more. His parents had been coming in late a lot recently and he had no idea what they were up to. Shouting could be heard through the wall from his parent's room. That was normal too, but what wasn't normal was the sound of breaking glass as something smashed against the wall. Bolting up, Sasuke listened as a door slammed followed by the sound of his mother weeping. Sasuke pushed his sheets back and padded across his room, out the door and into the hallway. He thought about knocking on his parent's door but thought better of it. Instead he put his ear against the door and listened to the sound of his mother crying. Just as he was about to turn away he heard, "I'm sorry Fugaku, I'll do better next time." It broke his heart.

Knowing that it wouldn't be a good idea for him to enter the room and console his mother, he crept back to his room. Sasuke climbed back into his bed and pulled the covers back over him, trying his best to fall back to sleep and block out the sound of his broken family.

The next morning found Sasuke sitting at the kitchen table. His mother was humming softly to herself as she made breakfast for the both of them. Fugaku had already left for work. Sasuke watched his mother as she prepared the meal, noticing the little details that were different about her this morning yet still the same as years past. She winced every time she moved her left shoulder; it was barely noticeable but Sasuke caught it. Her dark eyes were sunken in, dark circles bagging underneath and the whites of her eyes were tinted pink. All in all she looked like she had cried herself into a fitful, restless sleep. His mother had always been unstable and the family suspected it was because of his father, but unfortunately it was brushed under a rug, just like the rest of his psychotic family's problems. It had only gotten worse after his brother had disappeared.

"Are you all packed to go back to school Sasuke?" Mikoto was looking at him expectantly, her head tilted slightly while waiting for him to answer.

"Yes mother." He tried to smile at her, honestly he did, but the most he could give was a slight tilt of the corners of his lips. He was not looking forward to going back to his private high school but didn't want to upset his mother any more than she already was. Mikoto and Fugaku had been sending him to private school since he started middle school so he should have been used to it by now.

The midnight haired woman tried to smile back at her son. He would never understand why they were forced to send him away for ten months out of the year. She sympathized with him, but at the same time knew there was nothing she could do to comfort him. "Good. The driver will be bringing you to the airport in a few hours."

* * *

Across the city, a pink haired girl's world was crashing down on her. The television headline: **Local Teacher Killed in Car Accident **swamin front of her as tears collected in Sakura's eyes. Her father's tortured sobs rang through her ears from the next room, nearly drowning out the voice of the woman reporting about her mother's death.

The police chief had called around four in the morning to bring her father over to the office to identify the body.

When she had heard the front door slam closed and something hard bang against a wall in the entryway, Sakura had jumped out of bed to see what was wrong. When she reached the bottom of the stairs she saw her father, her incredibly strong, almost always blissful father, crumpled up in a ball, arms curled around himself, and weeping as she had never seen him do before.

Panicked, she ran over to him, throwing her arms around him and even though she felt him grip her and in an almost bone crushing grip, he only wept harder. It seemed as if they had knelt there for hours until her father was finally able to control himself enough to look up at his daughter's glassy eyes. When she spoke she shuddered, "What's wrong? What happened?" Sakura almost knew she didn't want to hear the answer.

Koichi Haruno was barely able to get the words, "Nanako….car crash," out before he broke down once more. He felt his daughter's arms stiffen around him before he heard her own cries of anguish join his own.

Now sitting at the kitchen table, all Sakura could do was stare at the television in shock, not even seeing the pictures moving in front of her anymore. Her mother had gone shopping last night for something, it didn't matter for what anymore, and she had been killed in a hit and run. That was all she could get out of her father before he bolted from her in order to cry by himself in the next room. Her body was completely numb. She couldn't believe that her mother was gone. Distantly she recognized the annoying sound of their home phone ringing. Working on autopilot she rose from her seat to answer it, knowing her father was in no condition to answer.

"Hello?" she greeted the caller.

"Sakura?" The familiar voice of their long time family friend nearly made her break down again.

"Mr. Uzumaki." Sakura's voice wavered dangerously.

The other man's voice cracked on the line before he asked, "Is your father there, honey?"

Knowing her father he wouldn't want to be bothered at the moment but the Uzumakis and the Harunos were close enough to be considered family. Koichi needed a friend right now. "Hold on a moment." Grabbing the cordless phone she went to search for her father.

"Dad?" She had found him curled up in her parent's bed, hugging her mom's pillow to his chest. He didn't look up. Trying again she said, "Mr. Uzumaki's on the phone. He wants to talk to you." She didn't expect to get any response from him and lifted the phone to her ear, about to tell Mr. Uzumaki that her father wasn't available. Then a hand was in her face, waiting expectantly for the phone. Instead she said, "He's right here," and before she could lift the phone from her ear she heard, "Naruto's on his way over now."

Koichi took the phone from his daughter and watched her all but run out of the room before he answered. "Minato?" His voice cracked before he was able to clear his throat.

"Koichi? Headquarters called me a few hours ago and told me about Nanako. I'm so sorry Koichi," Sakura's father could hear the sadness dripping from his friend's words. "That was no regular car crash, it was Akatsuki. Headquarters confirmed it. They were looking for my son." Minato choked out in a whispered tone.

Sighing in a way he was still far too young to, Koichi responded, "I suppose we couldn't hide forever. What are we going to do now?" Now that Akatsuki had found out the approximate whereabouts of his family, there was no way that he would be able to stay here with Sakura. He had to keep her safe. They all had to keep Naruto safe.

"Arrangements are already being made. Naruto is being sent to a private school called Konoha Preparatory. Kushina and I will be moving out. We can't stay still any longer. I suggest you do the same. Send Sakura with Naruto and join my wife and me. We'll find her killers, Koichi."

Koichi clenched his unoccupied hand in the bed covers. Sakura would hate being sent to a new school. She would hate being away from him, especially so soon after her mother….. Just thinking about it, his eyes screwed shut and a sob escaped his throat before he could smother it.

"Listen Koichi, I'll talk to you later. Think about what I said though. You can't stay there any longer anyway. Naruto is on his way over to see Sakura now. We'll get through this." With those last words, the other line clicked.

Clicking the phone off, Koichi pressed his face into his pillows and wept for his dead wife. He knew the pain his daughter would soon suffer would be all too unbearable.

* * *

A week later Sakura found herself sitting in a taxi next to her best friend, Naruto Uzumaki. She thought about how amazing it was to watch the landscape change from a city to a country setting, how amazing it was how much her life had changed in just a week. She and Naruto were being sent to a private high school. Her father had left her to give lectures to students other than her, where he was supposed to be, where her mother was supposed to be. She felt a wetness slide down her cheeks. She was crying again, and here she thought she had cried herself dry. Quickly she moved her fist to her face to wipe away her tears before Naruto saw them.

"It's alright to cry you know," Naruto's voice sounded from next to her. She looked over at him. The blonde had the most serious look on his face that she had ever seen. He moved his arms in a come hither movement, motioning for her to lie against him. Without much hesitation Sakura took the offering. Naruto leaned her head on his shoulder and moved to put his head against hers. He could empathize with her. His parents were leaving too. The only difference was that he knew what dangerous missions they and her father were about to get involved with. However, he didn't mind. He was the lucky one. He got to protect the pretty pink haired damsel, even if she didn't know about it. Bringing his mind back to the girl in his arms he said, "You know this might not be so bad. There are probably a ton of hot chicks for me to dig at this new school. No boys for you though! You're far too cute to be defiled by jerks, Sakura."

Sakura snorted through her tears. She knew Naruto was only trying to make her feel better. Besides, the only girl he would be going after would be her and she knew it. He had had a crush on her since they were five. But still she went along with it. "I'll go after whichever boy I want thank you!" Her voice wavered a little before she spoke again, "I just can't help but feel that things will never be the same again."

Naruto hugged her tighter as she broke down again. _If only you knew Sakura, if only you knew.

* * *

A/N: _Welcome to Secrets in the Dark! This is just the prologue to what promises to be a fairly long story. Just as a forewarning: this will NOT be a high school fic so don't worry about anything like that :) This is a little experiment that I'm putting up for the moment to see what kind of response I get. I have the first five chapters finished and if I receive a good amount of encouragement (wink wink) I can have the next chapter up within the next couple of weeks. Currently I'm writing without a beta so if anyone is interested please let me know ;) this also means that if you see any problems within this first chapter let me know as well. Anywho, I hope you enjoyed this first chapter and I look forward to your responses.


	2. Chapter 1

Well here's the second but REAL first installment...does that make any sense? Prologues never really count as a chapter for me...anyway, hope you all enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters from Naruto. I do however own this plot, please don't steal it! :'(

**Chapter 1**

Six Years Later

"Mr. Takeshi, you're going to have to wait your turn. I know your arm hurts but I'm afraid you are going to have to be patient." Exasperated, Sakura brushed her too long hair out of her eyes and pulled it up into a pony tail. Working in the emergency room proved to be a stressful endeavor on a good day and tonight showed no difference.

One glance around the emergency room had Sakura groaning. Two kids clearly needed stitches (the boy and girl had been climbing an ancient tree whose branch had fallen due to too much weight on it), an elderly gentleman with a most likely broken arm (the odd angle the arm laid in gave it away), and a woman complaining of intense daily migraines (she came in every other day).

"What time do you get out of here tonight, Sakura?" Hinata Hyuuga, her work buddy, would be holding down the fort for the rest of the night once Sakura left. Despite not being a pre med major at Konoha University and her timid nature, the raven haired woman still did a great job as the ER secretary.

Smiling up at her partner for the night Sakura answered, "Only fifteen more minutes Hinata and then I am home free for the weekend." Not a minute after she had spoken the door to the emergency room slammed against the opposite wall. A tall boy with midnight hued hair styled into spikes and almost black charcoal eyes strode in through the door. The way that Sakura and Hinata worked was simple. The two would switch taking care of the patients each time they worked together. Technically today was Hinata's turn to take care of patients but the terrified look on Hinata's face told Sakura that she should help the quiet girl out.

The disgruntled kid walked up to the counter and practically squashed the bell patients had to use to get the working secretary's attention. "C-c-can I h-help you?" The male's face contorted into a sneer when he saw the timid girl. Hinata's pale complexion made up Sakura's mind.

"Hinata? Dr. Tsunade's secretary just called from the front desk upstairs. They need your help up there immediately." The pale lavender eyes of the girl widened as they met with emerald. After a playful wink from Sakura, Hinata left the tiny office with a grateful last glance. _She would have needed the break before I left anyway. _Someone cleared his throat loudly and Sakura steeled herself before turning to the irate looking boy.

"I didn't hear the phone ring." His voice was deep like velvet, a perfect match to his dazzling good looks. Or at least, maybe that would be the way a cheesy romance book would describe the so far nameless man. To Sakura his grumbling voice sounded like a nightmare waiting to happen during the last minutes of her shift.

The smile on Sakura's face completely at odds with the glare she sent with her eyes she said, "Actually," in the best cheerful voice she could muster, "I got off the phone just before you walked in." _Ha! Argue with me about _that_ answer Mr. Grumpy Puss! _

Mr. Grumpy Puss's mouth transformed from a frown into an arrogant smirk in no time. "It wouldn't be the first time someone used an underhanded trick to gain my attention. I know a desperate girl when I see one." The arrogant jerk actually had the audacity to do a man's interpretation of a hair flip after his bigheaded statement.

Fake cheerfulness gone, Sakura shot back, "Please. Any girl would have to be drunk to be desperate for you." Then in a sickeningly sweet voice, "Now is there anything that I can help you with?"

His mouth moved back into a frown at the question. "The university health clinic advised me to come here because of my cut." Dark eyes moved to glance at his left arm. Bandages covered about a quarter of the boy's muscular arm and Sakura could see the faint pink outline that warned his blood would start soaking through the fabric soon.

Sighing to herself, Sakura opened the patient log on her computer. "Your name?" She wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible. A quick peek at the clock next to the computer told her that she only had five minutes left of her shift.

"Sasuke Uchiha."

"Reason for arrival?"

When no response was forthcoming from the other side of the glass, Sakura looked up at the boy. His gaze practically screamed "Stupid git" back at her. Sakura just glared back. "Hello?"

"I fell and received a cut that needs immediate medical attention."

Sighing in aggravation (this time much more loudly to show the boy her irritation), she asked, "What were you cut with?"

"A bottle," he replied, sounding bored.

Sakura rolled her eyes. _Well that was a world of help. _What _kind_ of bottle?"

The boy actually had the guts to growl at her. Under any other circumstance Sakura might have admitted (under unbearable torture) that the low rumble sounded attractive, however at this moment, it only irritated her more. "Does it really matter?"

Completely giving up keeping a smile on her face Sakura answered with a growl of her own. "Depending on what was in the bottle, yes, it does matter because it could mean the difference between life and death." Okay, so maybe she was being just a _tiny_ bit dramatic, but Sasuke would be flying through a wall in a second if he wasn't careful.

One of his eyebrows were raised as if he didn't believe her gritted out explanation but he decided it would be better not to argue with her. "A beer bottle," he grumbled.

Bingo. That would explain his reluctance to tell her what happened. She couldn't wait to see him squirm after her next question. "Age?" She asked with all the innocence she could muster.

This time Sasuke glared at her full force. "Twenty." Underage. Sakura could barely contain her snide grin.

"Okay Mr. Uchiha. It will be about a two hour wait. Please take a seat." Sakura did not even try to hide the jolly tone of her voice while telling the jerk to wait. Most times she acted sympathetic with patients but she had hit her last nerve. Fully expecting the Uchiha to leave the desk, she turned away from computer to start gathering her belongings.

"Two hours?"

Uh oh. Mr. Grumpy Puss did _not_ sound happy. Closing her eyes for a minute, Sakura prayed for patience before looking back up at the man at the counter. Meeting his eyes she replied slowly, "Yes. Two hours. Please sit with the other waiting patients."

Had she been anyone else (particularly poor Hinata), the anger in the boy's eyes would have sent Sakura hiding under her desk. "And why exactly do I have to wait two hours to have a doctor look at my arm? I demand to see a doctor now. Do you know who I am?"

_What the hell?_ How dare he demand _anything_ of her? Both palms slammed against the desk top and Sakura shot up, leaning over the counter until she almost touched noses with the asshole. Her emerald eyes burned with unmatched fury. "You have to wait because the man with the broken arm that has been waiting for over an hour without pain meds and the two children who have been waiting for three hours, also without pain meds, take precedent over an arrogant underage college student who drunkenly fell and cut himself with his own beer bottle. Now please _sit down_!" Very rarely did Sakura ever raise her voice, even more rarely did she have to raise her voice in the emergency room, but this Sasuke Uchiha had officially pissed her off.

Finally looking cowed, the Uchiha huffed and arrogantly (could he do _anything_ without arrogance?) walked over to one of the blue, uncomfortable waiting room chairs and threw himself down. The irritated pink haired girl slammed the partition glass shut and began to furiously shove her textbooks she had been using to study into her book bag. Hinata walked into the room not long after.

"Thank you for taking that patient Sakura. I always get nervous around The Uchiha family."

Surprise shone on Sakura's face. "You know him Hinata?" No wonder the poor girl looked terrified the second Sasuke had walked in.

The dark haired girl poked her fingers together nervously. "N-not really well. He's in a few of my classes at the university. Sasuke's not nice. His family and my f-family are a part of the same social circle. We attend all the s-s-same business parties. Er….well, sometimes they attend. T-the Uchihas don't really like being i-in the public eye."

Only Hinata would describe a complete prick as "not nice." "So you mean he's always like that? Man, I feel bad for his professors." As she spoke Sakura stood up from her chair and stretched before swinging her heavy book bag over her shoulder. A "ding!" from the intercom on the secretary desk interrupted the two girls before Hinata could answer. Pressing the button Sakura chirped, "Emergency room!"

"Examination room number three has been vacated. You may send in the next patient." The message was brief but the girls were relieved to hear it.

"I'll let you take over from here Hinata. Good luck for the rest of the night!" As much as Sakura loved working in the hospital, she could not wait to leave.

The girl looked over and shouted a quick "Good night Sakura!" from the office before walking out and telling Mr. Takeshi, the man with the broken arm, he could make his way into the now empty examination room.

Practically running to her car, Sakura slammed the driver's side door shut after hopping in and quickly speed dialed the number of her best friend.

Mission folders flew everywhere down the hallway as the startled blond fished his phone out of his pocket. Glancing at the picture on his caller I.D. Naruto smiled and pressed the send button, placing the phone against his ear. "Hey Sakura! Did you just get out of the E.R.?"

Giggles answered his question before the voice of his best friend sounded from the earpiece. "Yeah I just got out. Some stupid jerk made me late but I'm done now. Can you still hang tonight?" The question hung in the air for a moment before Naruto could gather up the courage to bring her down.

"Um…..well….actually…..I really can't tonight anymore Sakura. I'm sorry. Work won't let me leave just yet. It's going to be another hour and a half before I get to leave….." Naruto winced when he heard the almost silent sigh on the other line.

"That's alright Naruto! I have a test on Monday that I have to study for anyway. I'll see you tomorrow okay?" The fake cheery voice would have fooled anyone but him. Sakura had tried to use it on him far too many times.

"I'll make it up to you Sakura, I promise!" He could never stand disappointing her.

"It's ok Naruto, don't worry about it. I'll talk to you later. Bye!" The click signaled Sakura terminating the conversation.

Naruto stared at the phone's screen. "Call ended: 02:44 minutes." He felt horrible. This wasn't the first time he had to cancel his plans with the pre med major because of work and he knew that it wouldn't be the last time.

"Namikaze? Those reports aren't going to walk themselves." A burly, white haired older man stood in front of him with his arms crossed. Naruto stared at him for a moment in confusion before he realized that Jiraiya was speaking to him. He had worked for the ANBU Black Ops organization for four months already and he still couldn't get used to any of the operatives calling him by his and his parents' codename Namikaze. Nor was he used to Sakura's father being called Koichi Mori; he had always thought that Haruno suited their family more…

Laughing, Naruto kneeled down to the floor to pick up the folders holding about a dozen field reports that had been thrown everywhere. "Sorry Jiraiya, I got a little distracted."

While Naruto had his head down the old man allowed his eyes to soften while gazing at the young operative. Jiraiya knew the boy's parents Minato and Kushina well. They had worked for ANBU for almost twenty six years and were two of the organization's best operatives. Currently they were on a long term mission in Iwa, trying to glean more information on Akatsuki. Due to the boys uncharacteristic nervous behavior Jiraiya could only surmise that the kid was worried for them. Trying to put the poor boy at ease he said, "Have you started your field training yet boy?"

Finally gathering the last of the files, Naruto stood up straight and returned the gaze of the man who held the position of second in command in ANBU. Smiling he answered, "Not yet sir. Kakashi sensei told me earlier that he would start training me soon though. He told me that I have a lot of potential since both of my parents work here." He puffed out his chest a little, proud that his sensei had something kind to say about him for once.

Chuckling the old man walked away saying, "Good to hear," before he turned around the next corner, and began to whistle as he walked down the corridor. Hurried footsteps told him that the kid had run in the opposite direction, obviously trying to get the folders somewhere before he got in trouble.

"You really shouldn't encourage him like that."

Jiraiya stopped dead in his tracks, starring ahead toward the voluptuous blonde that stood in front of him. "Ah Tsunade! I thought that you were working in the hospital tonight! Great to see you!" Greeting done, he moved to walk past her but she shot her arm out and grabbed the sleeve of his shirt before he could make it by her.

Tsunade turned her head to the side so that she could speak to the man face to face, her forehead creased in a frown but he interrupted before she could say anything.

"You know you really shouldn't frown like that. You're going to get wrinkles. Wouldn't want to show everyone how old you _really_ are, do ya?

Eyes narrowed, Tsunade snarled, "You know that ANBU does not want the Kyuubi doing field work yet. Why must you get his hopes up when you know it is going to be a long while before he so much as _sees_ the practice rooms of this organization?"

He could see the frustration in the aging woman's eyes and let out a weary sigh, his own age showing through for a moment. "I know. But I still don't agree with keeping the boy here running errands around the place. He could give us a huge advantage against Akatsuki."

"And what would you do if he was captured in the field? We would be completely done for!" The blond woman let go of her friend's sleeve, choosing instead to rub her temples with her fingers as if trying to stave off a migraine. Either that or she had a hangover. "Listen, I know how powerful the Kyuubi could come to be, but for right now, this is how it has to be. The council wishes to keep Naruto out of the field until the situation with Akatsuki becomes dire. Right now, we have everything under control."

Sighing, Jiraiya could only agree. "You're in charge Tsunade so I know there really isn't anything I can say to change your mind, but I want you to know that under these circumstances, I believe you are making a mistake." With those last words, he walked by her and turned another corner in the hallway, leaving the head of the ANBU Black Ops organization to her thoughts.

A quiet, "Believe me Jiraiya, I feel the same way," echoed throughout the corridor and bounced off the white walls.

* * *

And there you have it. A little bit of Sasuke and Sakura interaction, though I wouldn't exactly call it friendly...eh, it'll happen eventually...maybe... ANYWAY, this is the part where I beg for reviews. PLEASE leave one! I'd like to know what everyone thinks of this so far, and helpful criticism is always a blessing. Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed!


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